Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. Award-winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch recently released the documentary film Bully, which follows five students and their families as they deal with bullying. With an intimate glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias, and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the bullying many kids face in America’s schools.

Bully reflects many of the challenges faced by all members of the school community, from bus drivers to teachers to administrators, when it comes to handling bullying. Many of you are charged with responding to bullying behaviors in your school and we want you to be equipped with the knowledge and the tools you need to effectively intervene. To support your efforts, we are giving away two bundles of our Bully Free Classroom® materials:

The Giveaway:

One person will be selected to win a bully free bundle in each grade category.May 9, 2012: Giveaway is now closed. The contest for this giveaway will be closed at 8:59 A.M., CDT, on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, and the winners will be announced on Thursday, May 10, 2012.

How to enter:
Leave a relevant comment about how you would use these materials in your work with students. The most compelling story in each category will be selected to win. Be sure to state which bundle you’re interested in (bundle #1: elementary school, bundle #2: middle school).

Please share:
We encourage you to share a link to the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.

23 Responses to Bully Free Bundle Giveaway

Bullying is something that is sadly very prevalent in our society as a whole, not just in schools. It is my hope that by teaching bullying precvention we can help the next generation of adults understand the importance of kindness to others! I would love to have these materials to add to my bullying curriculum in my K-5 school!

I would absolutely love to add the Bundle #2 (Middle School) materials to my collection of resources! I am currently a School Counselor at a Junior HIgh School which services students in grades 6 – 9. My caseload of students, for the most part, consists of students at the sixth and seventh grade levels. This is my first year with a full-time position as a School Counselor and, throughout the school year, I have be continuously adding to my collection of books and materials. One of my favorite responsibilities as a School Counselor is running groups with my students. Throughout the course of this year I ran seven different groups with my students, ranging from groups working on social skills, to groups working on organization and study skills, to groups for students whose parents have been through a separation and/or divorce. I would love, love love, to run a group next year with a “bully free” theme and I think that the resources in Bundle #2 would be perfect! The group would contain students who have experienced bullying themselves, either as the victim or as the bully, as well as those students who are at risk for becoming involved in such behaviors. Typically, my groups meet for 30 minutes per week for approximately 8 – 10 weeks. I am confident that a group such as this would be truly beneficial to my students and am hopeful that I will have the opportunity to implement it with the Bully Free Zone materials next year. Thank you for the consideration!!! 🙂

I am not sure if I can be more compeling then the people before me but Bullying is an issue at my elementary school. We have had one student on the verge of suicide and have to be hospitalized. I don’t feel I have the knowledge to help students with bullying to the degree it is occurring during this time. I was bullied as a child and I wished I had someone there to help me in the school setting. Thankfully I had wonderful parents that supported me but in today’s world there is less parent support and the school is one of the only places that students can get help. As a school counselor, I want to be that support for my students and I want to make people knowledgable about the topic! This buddle seems to be a great way to help me meet the needs of our school! I am already planning a bully training for our 5th graders where they will learn about bullying and how to not be a bystander. This bundle would help make this training a success! I would love to have Bundle 1!!!

I would love to win the bundle #1 Bullying materials. I am a first year counselor in a low socio-economic elementary school. I work hard to explain bullying to my students but have limited supplies. I am trying to build my library, as well as, other useful resources for my students. I would greatly appreciate the bundle. Thanks for your consideration 🙂

I am a K-6 counselor, so would be VERY interested in the elementary bundle. In fact, I had planned to purchase the “No Kidding” book a few weeks ago, but didn’t get a grant I applied for and don’t have the personal funds to do so right now. I was so excited when I saw this opportunity to win it!! I am in the midst of doing my bullying survey I do with students at the end of every year. It has been disheartening to read the comments from students about the kinds of bullying they have experienced this year, and to also see some numbers rise. However it motivates me to continue to do more and more and help students handle bullying as targets and bystanders, and of course to help the students who get needs filled through bullying others. The poster set would be good reminders to students as they walk our halls, and the “Bully Machine” book and card set would be great for groups and guidance lessons. Some fresh resources would mean the world to me. Thank you!

I am a middle school teacher in a high poverty district outside of the Twin Cities, MN who could benefit from Bundle #2. The school counselor at my school has a caseload of over 900 students. His prevention efforts are often pushed to the back burner to deal with crisis after crisis. As an English teacher, I have more lead way in getting creative with my lesson planning than others. With these resources, I would collaborate with my school counselor to crosswalk the school counseling standards with my English standards, working to integrate the New Bully Free Classroom activities into my English lessons. I feel that creating a positive and safe school climate is a shared responsibility. My hope is that by being the first teacher to take an active leadership role in addressing the bullying that goes on in our school, I will empower others to do the same. In addition, I would use the Bully Free Card Game and Bully Free Zone In a Jar with the students in my advisory period. We already work to integrate character education, and the Bully Free Card Game and Bully Free Zone In a Jar would foster their decision making skills by encouraging them to talk through bullying scenarios, how to empower bystanders, and ways to help students who bully. This would be a great resource for our school. Thank you for offering this giveaway!

I’m very interested in Bundle #2. I am a 4th year counselor and took a 3-credit course this year called “Anti-Bullying: Where to Start”. It was a great course and helped me develop an anti-bullying campaign. I timed the launch of this campaign for around the same time as the release of the movie “Bully”. All of this has led to a lot of discussion about bullying and what can be done to limit our bullying cases. Now, we are preparing for our largest class of 6th graders to enter our middle school next year and they have a long history and reputation of being the “bully class”. I am hoping to add more to my anti-bullying curriculum and lessons next year to go along with my campaign in an effort to change the label on this class from “the bully class” to “the class that solved the bullying problem”. The book alone would be a great resource for my lofty goals, but the other items in the bundle would be wonderful additions too. Thank you!

As a school counseling graduate student I am always looking for new resources, which can be challenging on a limited budget. I begin my elementary internship in the fall and would love to integrate the No Kidding About Bullying curriculum into classroom guidance and small groups. I also envision creating a peer mentoring program in which fourth and fifth grade students work with students in the younger grades to integrate concepts and activities from No Kidding About Bullying. This will help to promote protective factors such as empathy, conflict resolution, tolerance, respect, and other important character traits in students K-5, as well as promoting leadership and a sense of pride in fourth and fifth grade students. Fostering leadership skills in youth and promoting positive peer relationships will help to create a positive school climate, which is foundational in reducing bullying. I have also heard wonderful things about Goodbye Bully Machine and would use these resources in classroom guidance and small groups. Goodbye Bully Machine would also help to create a developmentally appropriate, school wide language around bullying and empower students to take an active role in disassembling the bully machine in their school. Thanks for offering such great resources and considering me for Bundle #1!

I would absolutely love to win either bundle! I just graduated this week and will start my first school counseling job in the fall. I will be the only school counselor for a K-12 school district of about 500 students. I used the No Kidding About Bullying book a lot for guidance lessons in my internship at the elementary level, and would love to incorporate it into my elementary curriculum at my own school. My principal at my school would like me to start a bullying task force with middle school students this coming school year, which we will begin already this summer, and the materials in bundle 2 would be such great additions to the group. The posters would be wonderful to display in my office and/or around the school to help spread the message of respecting others, and representing our belief that it is never okay to bully others! I would be extremely grateful to win any of these materials as a new school counselor who is just beginning to build up my resources. Thank you for the opportunity! 🙂

I would love to work with Bundle #2 for Middle School! I am a behavioral therapist finishing school to be a guidance counselor and I work in a middle school. Our school is a Covey Leadership School and we also utilize the “Fill Your Bucket” to help maintain the positive atmosphere, but we hav enot implemented curriculum to address the bullying issues we have. I am able to visit our classrooms and hold groups with our students and the “Bully Free Classroom” text is just what we need to get our anti-bullying program off and going. We can maintain a positive atmosphere, but if the heart of the matter isn’t addressed, there is no change in the cycle of bullying. 🙂

Bundle 1: I am the only School Counselor in an elementary school of nearly 500 students with various needs. As in all schools, we have our share of behavior problems, but we are also very socioeconomically disadvantaged. I feel that students often see inappropriate methods to conflict resolution and problem solving by their parents, on television, and in video games. Our school has implemented many intitiative to help solve this problem, including daily morning “team time” in every classroom to discuss pertinent topics and issues. I feel that without a pervasive anti-bullying program, our efforts can only do so much. Although the best outcome would be to have another counselor (even part time!), I feel that with extra resources, I would be able to meet the needs of so many more students.

I am a first year school counselor split between two buildings which are both K-8. Bullying is a huge topic in both buildings and I want to make it my mission for next school year to really focus on the bullying problems in both buildings. Either or BOTH bundles would be very helpful. Bundle #1 would be great to start out early with the kids and nip it right from the get-go. Bundle #2 would also be helpful and beneficial to help more in-depth with some of the problems middle school students face with puberty, etc. I have quite a few resources for middle school students, as I taught in the middle school for 12 years. However, now being on a different side, new resources and extra resources are always helpful. I have seen too many times students miss school, grades drop, friendships get ruined, depression arises all due to the student being bullied. I have had 4 students threaten suicide this year due to bullying. I don’t want ANY student to feel this way, and I want to be able to help in every way I can. Having those resources available will make things much easier when those situations arise. I am planning on starting a bully prevention group with students in grades 4-8 so this would be a great tool to help with that program as well. Thank you for your consideration!

I would love to win Bundle #1: Elementary School. Next semester I will be interning at an Elementary school and I know bullying will be an issue that arises. I think it would be great to be able to use the book and CD-Rom with the kids. I think it is important that children understand what bullying it is because many people have the misconception that bullying can be a one time thing, when in reality it is more than that. I also think it is important to let students know that it only takes one to stand up for someone who is being bullied. I would hope to utilize these materials during the beginning of the school year so we can start off on the right track. Throughout the year if bullying becomes an issue I will use the activities to go along with the issue that arises. I will have the posters up all year long as a reminder that bullying is not accepted. I would also use the note that is provided to send home with parents to inform them about bullying and bully prevention. I think it is important that families get involved since they have a big influence on their children! I think this will be a great tool and by utilizing it I hope it will help me learn what works and to grow as a counselor. 🙂

Bundle #1 would be a great resource for my K-5 Elem. building. We are very proactive with Social Emotional Learning in our school and every student receives weekly social skills lessons. However, we do not have a structured bully-prevention program in place. I have developed a hodge-podge curriculum using online resources, other materials, and ideas from others in the field but would love more inspiration and easy to implement lessons. Teachers are extremely pressed for time and I appreciate when they carve out a few minutes a week for me to implement anti-bullying programs. I need resources that are user-friendly, easily understood, relate to children, and work with time limitations. I have seen the movie Bully and have strongly encouraged my principal to purchase the DVD when available to show to all staff on a student improvement day. I would love to use the movie and the resource being offered here to jump start an effective bully prevention program in our school.

I am an elementary school counselor in a K-5 school with a school wide Title 1 program. I am moving to a new building next year, and we are working hard on creating a positive school climate. Bundle #1 would definitely help support my efforts on my campus. I would use the posters as visual reminders in high traffic areas such as the cafeteria and the main hallways, as well as the common areas shared by the grades. The No Kidding About Bullying book and CD would be used to enhance classroom guidance lessons on bullying as well as give me something to provide classroom teachers if they wish to add lessons in their individual classrooms. The Good-Bye Bully Machine book would also serve as a starting point for classroom guidance lessons and discussion, and give students a new way of thinking about bullying and the way all of the roles interact in an bullying situation. The card game would be something I would use with small groups as a way of practicing social skills and learning the roles in a bullying situation in a more in-depth manner for students we identify for Tier 2 targeted interventions. The game would also be helpful for my bilingual and ESOL students (which is over half of my student population) to have a more hands-on activity to reinforce the classroom guidance lessons. I know each component of this set would get heavy use in my program, and I would be extremely honored to be chosen as a winner.

I am a teacher in an area that is surrounded by a socio-economically disadvantaged community. I have witnessed students being “jumped” for their shoes or for supposedly stealing someone’s boyfriend. Many students are pressured to choose a gang to join for protection at school and in their community (usually either Nortenos or Surenos). Due to many parents working two or more jobs, most of our students go home to empty houses (or apartments) and aren’t necessarily getting the family support they need. However, students at our school have decided to begin changing our school culture’s climate by joining the “Builders Club”, a club with an anti-bullying message and is led by one of our staff members. Students learn how to be “Builders” for their peers by demonstrating positivity and acceptance of each other. Bullies at our school are considered “Destroyers” for all the destructive harm they cause, and the Builders are learning ways each week to counteract this destruction. The middle school bundle would be an incredible asset to our Builders Club (which currently has approximately 60 regular attendees). The Builders Club is continuing to grow strong and the middle school bundle would have a direct impact on hundreds of students for years to come.

Bundle 1 would be a perfect fit for our 150 fifth graders as well as a shared resource for other grade levels. I would use this with the 5th graders in our morning meetings to spark conversations and discussions. I would also use it in Language Arts to spark various compositions.

I would be the perfect candidate for bundle 1. I work with elementary students and they greatly appreciate all the resources. The CD with No Kidding About Bullying, book, and the card game are three amazing things that students need and enjoy having.

I would love to be considered for bundle #2. Working with my students in a small rural country school, we have or share of clicks and bullies. It makes my heart hurt when i see it and ALWAYS not only redirtect the bully but support the victim. the posters in this set would be placed not only in my clasrrom but the hallway as well. They will be an excellent way to approach the topic of bully at the beginning of the school year. The book with CD-rom will be utilized with all the 7th and 8th graders in our school and the card game would supplement concepts taught. The Bully Free Zone in a jar will be a wonderful thing to incorporate at least once a week as discussion started with the students. Please consider this request as I can assure you that this material will not just go sitting on a shelf but used by ALL the middle schoolers at our school.

My daughter is going to graduate this fall and is going to be an elementary teacher. She is trying to build her classroom library and teaching materials now, as it is so expensive! this #1 bundle would be perfect for her!! Thank you for the opportunity!!

My work as a Restorative Justice Coordinator allows me the opportunity to work with the youth in my community. The RJ program works to provide safe places and opportunities for young people to share their own life experiences with their peers in hopes of building better relationships with one another. We believe that if young people are given more opportunities to connect with one another and see how much more alike than different they are from each other, that bully behaviors are less likely to occur. Having a resource such as Bundle #2 – Middle School, would assist our program in addressing the issue of bullying before it’s too late. This serious issue recently hit very close to home when a 13 year old victim of bullying took her own life in a neighboring community. This tragic incident makes me ask the question, what are we doing to prevent this tragedy and is it enough? I am dedicated to taking the time to help our youth build relationships with one another instead of tearing those relaitionships down. I am determined to do all that I can to prevent another one of our young people from losing their lives to bullying.